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2 Goals Of This Workshop:Today we will be orienting ourselves to some of the principles and qualities we look for and try to exhibitas Leaders in NA. Specifically, we will look at the following:The Traditions and Concepts as a foundation forLeadership.The Responsibilities of All Leaders in NATeamwork as an essential component of Leadership(Qualities of an Effective Team)

3 Goals Of This Workshop:The Leader as an effective FacilitatorLeadership Communication Skills & The Leaderas a conduit of informationOur personal Leadership development –“A call to action”

4 Part 1 Our Traditions and Concepts: A Foundation For Leadership in NA

5 Our Traditions & Concepts: A Foundation for Leadership in NAThe source for guidance on the roles, qualities,and practice of leadership in NA comes from ourSteps, Traditions, and Concepts.Any discussion of leadership must start here andthe foundation for success of any leader in NAmust start with an understanding of our Steps,Traditions, and Concepts.

6 Our Traditions & Concepts: A Foundation for Leadership in NA Large Group DiscussionConcept Four: “Effective leadership is highlyvalued in Narcotics Anonymous. Leadershipqualities should be carefully considered whenselecting trusted servants.”

7 Our Traditions & Concepts: A Foundation for Leadership in NA Large Group DiscussionWhat does this Concept tell us about Leadership inNA from a Committee/Group perspective?How do we individually apply this Concept as NAleaders?

9 Leader Responsibilities: Functions of All Leaders in NAPlanning / Organizing / Prioritizing: Helping servicebodies to set goals and stay focused on them.Oversight and Evaluation: Tracking progress towardgoals. Evaluating how effective the service body is infulfilling it’s purpose. How efficient it is in operating,and how well the team works together.Creating an Atmosphere of Recovery: Making theconnection between service and recovery.

10 Leader Responsibilities: Functions of All Leaders in NACommunication: Articulating the goals and vision ofNA. Encouraging involvement and showing the valueof involvement for individual recovery and for NA as awhole.Leadership Development: Helping all members findways to serve and contribute their talents. Matchingthat talent to task and bringing out the best in others.(Coaching and Mentoring)

11 Leader Responsibilities: What Leaders Focus On:The Whole: How our actions as a service body supportand impact NA as a whole.The Vision: How we are continually working towardour goals and the ultimate impact we strive for – ourvision, the reason we do what we do.The Future: How we can best meet the needs of ourfellowship today, while anticipating and preparing forthe needs we will have tomorrow. How we can makethe Group, Area, or Region more effective and moreefficient in providing services.

12 Leader Responsibilities:Large Group Discussion:What are some critical skills or qualitiesthat leaders must possess to be effective?

14 Operating As Part Of A TeamLeadership is not a solo action.To be effective, leaders draw from the diverse talents& experiences of the group.Operating as a team has many benefits, such as:Builds Unity around a common purpose & visionBroadens the opportunities for serviceDevelops future leaders

17 Characteristics Of Effective TeamsClear Roles and ResponsibilitiesTeam members understand their responsibilitiesand expectations for performance.Team as a whole understands its function, resultsit must produce, and how that supports thefunctionClear Purpose and DirectionTeam is driven by a central purpose.Team has agreed on clear goals and a strategy toreach those goals.

18 Characteristics Of Effective TeamsTeam Skills and BehaviorsTeam members exhibit team skills and behaviorssuch as: effective communication and conflictmanagement.Operating ValuesThe team has agreed how they will work together,including ground rules for discussion, how they willhandle disagreement, or conflict, etc.

19 Characteristic of Effective Teams: Small Group DiscussionTeam Scenario:“The more experienced members of the ASC are frustrated. The ASC doesn’t seem to be functioning well as a team: The H&I committee wants more money for literature than the ASC has budgeted for. Many GSRs just come to buy their literature and leave. Activities wants to do their third event without submitting a budget for the first one. Three people want to be convention chair but none are willing to stand for PI/PR chair”

20 Characteristic of Effective Teams: Small Group DiscussionWhat could be the source of the problem?Which characteristics of an effective teamis the ASC not exhibiting?What could the Chairperson do to help getthe ASC back on track?

24 The Leader As A FacilitatorConcept 7 tells us how important it is for a leader togenerate dialog, discussion, and input within ourservice groups.As a facilitator a leader fosters group conscience toguide discussion and decision making.A leader must know how to build consensus andproductively manage conflict within the group sothat all points of view can be considered, but so thatthe group can ultimately make a decision.

25 The Leader As A FacilitatorEssential techniques to generate dialog and discussion:Create an environment that allows for open discussion.Make sure the topic or issue to be discussed is clearand understood by all.Keep the focus on the topic or issue.Allow enough time for the group to explore and discusstopic or issue before asking them to make a decision.Listen effectively to understand what is being said.

26 The Leader As A FacilitatorWhen it’s time to make a decision, leaders can use thefollowing steps:Clarify the decision that needs to be made & the goalthe group is trying to achieve by making the decision.Reflect on the input received and identify commonthoughts or ideas.Build & evaluate solutions/options to address the issue.Choose the solutions/options that will best meet thegroup’s goal.Prepare for action & implementation of the decision.

27 Facilitation Challenge: Large Group DiscussionScenario:“The Regional Service Committee is discussing the development of a Public Relations strategy that areas within the Region can implement. There is a fair amount of disagreement among the RSC members about what should be done. In the end, some strong personalities on the RSC that were the most vocal during the discussion are shaping the group’s opinion. As the chairperson, you fear that decisions will be made that do not reflect the group conscience.”

28 Facilitation Challenge: Large Group DiscussionWhat could the chairperson do tobetter manage the discussion?

29 The Leader As A FacilitatorKey Points:Set ground rules for discussions, including the ideathat to make the best decision we need to considerand hear all points of view.When brainstorming, focus on solutions and preventthe group from evaluating the ideas presented, untilit’s time to make a decision.When the issue is controversial or when there is a lotof disagreement, ensure that comments focus onthe issue, problem, or idea under discussion andnot just individuals in the group.

31 Leaders as Communicators: Large Group Discussion8th Concept: “Our service structure depends on theintegrity and effectiveness of our communications.”

32 Leaders as Communicators: Large Group DiscussionWhat does this Concept tell us about Leadership inNA from a Committee/Group perspective?How do we individually apply this Concept as NAleaders?

33 Leaders as Communicators:Leaders in NA must be effective communicators atdifferent levels:One-on-one individually: as a mentor or coach.Within a team: facilitator. Helps the groupbrainstorm ideas, solve problems, etc.Within the Service Structure: acts as a conduit ofinformation between bodies of the servicestructure, making sure that everyone has theinformation, input, and feedback that they needto perform their functions.

34 Leaders as Communicators:Leaders within the NA service structure are responsiblefor carrying forward the needs and concerns of thefellowship, and for sharing their thoughts and ideas.To be an effective conduit of information, leaders must:Have a clear understanding of the roles andfunctions of the other parts of the service structurethey are communicating with.Know what information is most essential to deliverto these service bodies and what information to takeback to their own group from these service bodies.Deliver the information in the most efficient waypossible

35 Leaders as Communicators:When we are effective conduits of information for ourgroup, we broaden their understanding of the biggerorganization they are a part of. We give them new ideasand thoughts to consider in achieving their goals, andwe support development of future leaders for NA.

36 Leaders as Communicators:Some general ideas of important information to carryforward to other levels of the NA service structure:Meeting information: time, day, and place.Issues of concern or challenges to help other servicebodies focus their efforts or to make informeddecisions about service needed.Recent successes that others can learn from or useto be more effective.Input on issues as requested by other service bodies.

37 Leaders as Communicators:Some general ideas of important information tobring back to your group from other parts of theNA service structure:Anything that a service committee is askingguidance or input on.Financial information, especially local.Activities, events, or service efforts that needsupport (financial or HR).

38 Leaders as Communicators:In some instances we have specific responsibilitiesas leaders to provide input to other levels of the NAservice structure. Examples, include:CAR (Conference Agenda Report).

39 Tips and Techniques For Efficiently Sharing InformationSummarize the input you are passing on, so otherscan identify the most common ideas or themes(the shorter, the better).Organize the information, being sensitive to howothers will use the information you give them (thisrequires an understanding of how the informationmay be used to make decisions, what the functionsand goals are of the service bodies to whom you aredelivering information).Consider offering a summarized handout so thateveryone has the same information.

40 Tips and Techniques For Efficiently Sharing InformationHighlight items that need group discussion orfeedback, perhaps even make it a worksheet that theycan use to bring back feedback.If possible, make detailed reports available beforethe ASC/RSC so that the members have theopportunity to read them over prior to the oral report.Remember that there are always new members in theroom that will need a bit of orientation to your report.Take a few minutes to be sure all understand what theexpectation is.

41 Tips and Techniques For Efficiently Sharing InformationPause at the end of each segment to field questionsbefore changing topics.If you know that you have a “hot topic” issue, you maywant to approach the individual(s) who are passionateabout it to talk through some of the finer points beforeengaging the entire ASC/RSC.Remind members that their partnership is critical tothe success of exercising the 8th Concept. They too,must turn and share much of this information withother members who are dependant on their follow-through.

44 In Closing - Wrap UpNever underestimate the impact you have as leaders.You may think that you can have but little impactbecause you are one of many leaders the group hashad. Or are a leader for just a short period of time.But remember…How we exercise leadership has an impact beyondour level in the service structure, and beyond ourterm in the position we hold.Changes and improvements we help make in howour group operates will benefit those who followus as leaders for years to come.The services we put in place to help the sufferingaddict, will impact their lives for decades.

45 In Closing - Wrap Up Leadership is a unique experience that has manyrewards. As leaders you both embody the values ofthose you serve, and yet at the same time help shapethose values by modeling good leadership.The personal rewards of taking on a leader role inNA are enormous and can be a major part of ourcontinuing recovery.